Let’s talk butter. I don’t mean the artificial, it-will-taste-like-butter-if-I-close-my-eyes-and-think-real-hard stuff. I mean the sweet, creamy, delicious fat that comes from real milk from a real cow. I love butter.

Let’s talk reality. I do love butter, but I can’t consume it in mass quantities because — as noted above — it’s a fat. One should not eat lots and lots of fat, because as the old saying goes, “you are what you eat.”

I cook with butter and enjoy it on my toast and baked potatoes and such, but I don’t do that every day. I believe in enjoying everything in moderation. I believe in being good to myself and not depriving myself of the things I enjoy, but I also believe in being healthy so I can enjoy things more often and for a longer time.

Let’s talk grammar. Specifically, let’s talk about compounding. Many use this word but don’t really understand its meaning. To compound something is to combine two or more items. For example, a compound word is a word with two small words combined to make one big word, such as “firefly.”

Back to butter. The wonderful thing about butter is its simplicity. It’s a standalone item. I wouldn’t recommend eating spoonfuls of butter — that’d be rather disgusting.

I mean it doesn’t need things to make it taste good. Butter tastes great on its own. However, if you add something to it, it can taste even better.

This is how I came up with my compound butter recipes. I combined different ingredients with simple butter to make a new flavorful spread for bread, steaks, chicken and just about any seafood. They are easy to make and easier to store. I keep them in the freezer and cut off just enough of what I need. It freezes for several months. I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the salt.

Last night, I was experimenting with my compound butters and came up with three different recipes: a simple rosemary butter, a lemon herb butter, and a blue cheese butter. I must confess the blue cheese butter was my favorite, and I do think I could have eaten that with a spoon and a glass of red wine and called it dinner. I did not, but oh how I wanted to. It’s that everything in moderation concept, right? I can’t wait to put it on a steak, though. Oh my gosh that will be good. I made them all in about 30 minutes and now they’re in the freezer awaiting my pleasure. Quick, simple and delicious. That’s a winning recipe for certain.

This week I present three simple recipes that come from one basic ingredient: Compound Butter. I encourage you to take some basic ingredients and combine them to create your own compound butters. The possibilities are endless and absolutely delicious.

Until next time…

Eat and enjoy,

Midgi

Rosemary Compound Butter

¼ pound (1 stick) softened butter, cubed

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in small food processor, blender or bowl and whisk or blend together. Add salt to taste. This butter is great on vegetables, chicken and pork.

Lemon herb Butter

¼ pound (1 stick) softened butter, cubed

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced

Zest of small lemon

Juice of small lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in small food processor, blender or bowl and whisk or blend together. Add salt to taste. This butter is great on bread, vegetables, chicken and seafood.

Blue Cheese Butter

¼ pound (1 stick) softened butter, cubed

1/3 cup softened blue cheese

1½ tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of pepper

Combine all ingredients in small food processor, blender or bowl and whisk or blend together. Add pepper to taste. This butter is great on toasted crostini, pork and beef. I wouldn’t recommend a spoon and a glass of red wine, although it may be very tempting.